The Tyrant's Legacy
by QueenOfBeasts
Summary: Scar was always known as an evil tyrant. But, was it possible to break through, and into the heart of the lion he was? One lioness had this ability, and it allowed her to love the one all others despise. This is the story of Pride Rock's forggoten lovers.
1. The Years of Innocents

**Part I: The Years of Innocents**

Early one morning, just as the dawn was breaking over a distant land, a dark pelted lioness calls to her cub.

"Mufasa…" She called softly. "Come meet your baby brother." A young cub with golden fur and a bright red tuft of mane poked his head around the corner of the cave. He peeked in to see his mother. Between her paws was a tiny infant. He slowly walked up to her, and looked down at his new sibling.

"Wow…" That was all little Mufasa could say about the tiny lion.

Suddenly, a huge shadow appeared over him. The little cub looked up to see a huge black maned lion with the same golden fur he had. It was his father. The massive male made his way over to his mate. The lioness looked up at him, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Uru…" He whispered. "He looks just like you…" Uru blushed, and looked back at her mate.

"He looks like you too, Ahadi." She smiled. "He has your nose and eyes." Ahadi licked his mate tenderly on the cheek.

"And what will his name be, my love?" He asked her. She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then her eyes got that glint Ahadi always saw when she had thought of something brilliant.

"Taka…" She said slowly, testing the sound. "Prince Taka."

* * *

As time went by, The sons of King Ahadi and Queen Uru grew considerably. Mufasa, being the larger and older of the two, always protected his younger brother from harm. But, there was one danger that little Taka couldn't escape: a lovesick cub by the name of Zira. Zira was obsessed with the prince. She followed him every where, and always had a longing, hopeful expression on her face. In Taka's opinion, the young lioness was quite strange. He tried to avoid her, and sometimes even hid from her, but Zira always found him.

One afternoon, Taka was being more vigilant than usual. That morning, Zira had that look on her face, the one that told him that she was planning to make a move on him. He had begged Mufasa to take him with him to the waterhole with his friend, Sarabi, but Mufasa had refused. As of late, he had been spending more and more time with Sarabi than with him. Taka knew why his brother chose the lovely female over him; he was to clever not to know. But it made him fearful that Mufasa wasn't there to protect him from Zira's aggressive shows of affection. Taka thought that he might be able to catch up with his brother if he headed for the waterhole before Zira found him again.

"Mother, I'm going to the waterhole for a drink! I'll be back soon!" He called to Uru, who was sitting several meters away.

"Alright, Taka. But you have to take Anga with you!" Taka spun around, and stared at his mother in disbelief.

"You can't be serious?" He cried. "Do I have to?"

Uru nodded.

"No Anga, no waterhole." Uru said sternly. Taka sighed, but agreed to his mother's terms. Anga was Uru and Ahadi's head advisor. The hornbill was always at either the king or queen's side, and never questioned her rulers. She annoyed the princes to no end, and as soon as Mufasa was old enough to walk in the Pride Lands without her, he took advantage of it. Taka on the other hand was still young; only a hint of his jet-black mane was sprouting on the top of his head.

Suddenly, a bright blue bird perched herself on the queen's shoulder.

"Did you call, my queen?" Anga asked in her high-pitched, singsong voice. She always seemed to know when she was needed. Or unneeded, in Taka's opinion.

"Yes," Uru replied. "I need you to escort Taka to the waterhole. That won't be any trouble, will it?"

"Oh, heavens no! I'd be honored to chaperone the prince! It would be my pleasure." It was clear that cubsitting Taka wasn't her favorite pass time.

"Thank you, Anga." Uru said smiling. Then, she turned to her son. "And Taka, _please_ behave yourself!" The cub gave a sly grin. "What would make you think I wouldn't?"

* * *

Taka strolled down the path, Anga flying overhead. He looked straight ahead, not wanting to start a conversation with the gossiping bird. As it turned out, he didn't need to talk to _her_.

"So, where's your friend Zira?" She asked. "You two really do make a cute couple!" Taka rolled his eyes.

"I barely _tolerate_ Zira! How could we be considered a couple, let alone friends!" He snapped. Anga gave a little chuckle, as if she knew something he didn't. "What's so funny?" He demanded. The hornbill landed on the ground infront of him.

"I think you should give her a chance. You never know with young lionesses." Taka glared at her.

"Why should I?"

"Well, if you must know, the two of you are betrothed." Taka tilted his head in confusion.

"Betrothed? What does that mean?"

"As prince, a lioness is chosen to be your mate at birth. Zira was the closest to your age, and your father thought it'd be a perfect match." The cub just stared at the bird, his mouth gaping open.

"Are you saying that Zira and I will be married?" He cried. Anga nodded, her beak forming a smile.

"So you better be nice to her, Prince." Taka snarled, mumbling under his breath. He didn't even _like_ Zira! How could he marry her?

He pondered about his situation, trying to figure out if he could find anyway out of it. He was often told he had a brilliant mind, and was sure he could find the loophole he was looking for. Suddenly, he heard an odd sound. It sounded like a moan of pain, and it sent Taka on full alert. Anga had also heard the sound. She spun around, startled.

"What on earth was _that_?" She shirked in a panic.

"I don't know." Taka replied. "I'll go find out." He waited for the sound. He would follow it once he heard it again.

"Gaaahhhh…!" He shot off in the direction of the sound. As he dashed through the brush, he spotted something moving; a flash of light tan against the deep golden grass. He slowed to a halt, and slowly walked in the direction of the movement. He crept silently through the grass, and suddenly, he burst into a small clearing of dirt in the sea of vegetation. Lying before him was the most terrible sight he had ever laid eyes on. There on the ground, was a lioness, drenched in blood. She had a gaping wound on her side, likely the result of a wildebeest defending itself from her attack. She weakly turned her azure blue eyes on him, and said softly,

"My time is up… please, take care of my Sarafina…" As soon as these words left her lips, she exhaled her final breath, and she was gone. Taka couldn't believe that he had just witnessed his first death. He was still recovering from his shock when he realized exactly what the lioness had said. 'Take care of my Sarafina'. Who was Sarafina? But, just as suddenly as the lioness's time had come, something tiny and fluffy had made it's way to Taka. At his paws sat a young cub, barely able to walk, and probably not even able to speak.

"Sarafina…?" Taka guessed. The cub started to squeal and giggle at the sound of the name. Taka stared at her, and she stared back, his emerald eyes meeting her sky blue ones. At once, Taka felt connected to the little cub. She was his responsibility. He knew that she had been sent to him for a reason, he just didn't know why.

"Prince Taka?" Anga called. She parted the grass with her wings, finding Taka and the tiny cub. "Good heavens!" She exclaimed. "What happened here?" Taka looked back at the still form of Sarafina's mother, then looked back at Anga, his eyes telling the story. The little blue bird gulped. "Oh…" She took in the scene, her eyes finally landing on the light tan cub. She looked solemnly at Taka. She knew that this was the dead lioness's cub.

"I'm taking her back to Mom and Dad." Taka declared. He picked up Sarafina by the scruff of her neck, and marched back the way they had come. Anga just nodded. She could tell that the prince had already bonded to the small cub. She didn't know what King Ahadi would do with her, but whatever it would be, Taka would never leave her. That fact was clear as day.

* * *

Taka arrived back at Pride Rock, the cub still hanging from his mouth. He found his mother on the rock's largest ledge, talking to the baboon Rafiki. He trotted up to her, and set Sarafina down at her paws. Uru just stared.

"Taka…" She said slowly. "Who's cub is this?" his eyes welled up with tears.

"I… I saw a lioness die…" He said, choking out his words. "She asked me to take care of her cub. Her name is Sarafina." At the mention of her name, the cub looked up at the dark-pelted lioness, then at her equally dark son. She giggled at the prince.

"Taka! Taka!" She shouted. "Taka! Taka! Taka!" At this, Taka's heart melted. Sarafina knew his name after only a few hours. He looked up at his mother with pleading eyes. Uru smiled at her kind-hearted, gentle son, and nodded.

"She can stay."

That night, as Taka curled up to sleep, Sarafina tottered over to him, and plopped down at his side. She nudged his paw, and he put it over her, and held her close. Something about having Sarafina at his side felt right. He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. Uru lay a little ways away, watching her young son and his new friend. She heard the sound of footsteps, and turned to see Ahadi at the cave's entrance. He stopped in his tracks, seeing the strange cub cuddled up next to Taka. He looked to Uru for an explanation, but she just smiled.

"Taka's found a new friend." She said simply.


	2. Scarred

**Part II: Scarred**

As the cubs grew, so did the bond between Sarafina and Prince Taka. She followed him every where. She was the only one he would let near him when he wanted to be alone. Something about the happy young cub lifted his spirits. He enjoyed her antics, unlike his brother, who found them almost as annoying as Anga. And just as Mufasa had done for him, Taka was always there to protect and care for Sarafina. He never let her out of his sight, no matter how tempted he might become. Sarafina was _his_ responsibility, and his alone.

But, not everyone found Taka and Sarafina's friendship so wonderful. Zira was outrageously jealous of the young lioness. Taka spent _far_ more time with Sarafina than with her, and this angered Zira. By now, She and the prince were blooming adolescents. Taka's mane was coming in very nicely, and she thought he looked more handsome than ever. She always tried to find time to be alone with him, trying to charm him into loving her the way she loved him. But all of this was in vain. No matter what Zira did, Taka refused to leave Sarafina for even a minute. Whenever this occurred, she would run her tail under his chin, and sweetly ask, 'Oh, you can leave her just for a little while, can't you?' but he would always say no, blind to her advances. 'He'll come to his senses sooner or later.' She'd think. 'I just have to be patient.'

* * *

"You can't catch me!" Sarafina laughed as Taka chased her. It was a beautiful day in the Pride Lands, and Taka had taken her on a stroll through the kingdom.

"Oh, yes I can! I'm much faster than a little cub!" He chuckled.

"Then why haven't you caught me yet?" She questioned as she continued the game of tag.

"I'm letting you win!"

"Yeah right!" Then, Sarafina had an idea. She suddenly stopped short, spun around, and pounced on the prince! They tumbled over each other, giggling and laughing the whole time, until finally they stopped, with Sarafina ending up on top of Taka.

"Pinned ya!" She shouted. Taka laughed so hard his sides hurt. When he finally got himself under control, he looked up at the little cub sitting on his chest. Sarafina was smiling down at him, her lovely deep blue eyes sparkling with the joy and laughter all cubs posses. Taka inhaled sharply. He had never noticed how much Sarafina had grown until now. She would be stunning as a grown lioness; he could tell.

"Taka? Hey, Taka! Why are you looking at me like that?" Sarafina asked in confusion. Taka shook his head as if he were coming out of a trance.

"Huh? Oh, sorry! I guess I kind of zoned out for a minute…" He said, his voice starting to trail off.

"Well, zone back in so we can play!" She replied, jumping off of his chest. Taka looked down at her, and smiled.

"Actually, I think we should head back. Mom will start to worry if we're not home by dusk." Sarafina shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright. I guess I _am_ kind of tired." She ran to Taka's side, and walked back with him to Pride Rock.

* * *

As they made their way back to Pride Rock, who should come into their path, but Zira. She gazed lovingly at Taka, but her expression was not returned.

"Hi, Taka!" She breathed with excitement. Taka ignored this behavior, and kept walking, pushing right past Zira. She jumped in his path again, and he knew that he had to acknowledge her.

"What do you want, Zira?" He sighed in defeat.

"Well," She said, coming very close to him indeed. "I though maybe we could take an evening stroll? Just the _two_ of us?" Taka rolled his eyes at Zira's desperate attempt to swoon him.

"I'm terribly sorry Zira, but I have to get Sarafina home." He said quickly, "Isn't that right?" He asked the cub, nudging her with his shoulder.

"Oh! Yes! Uru promised kudu for dinner, and you know how much I _love_ kudu!" She told Zira (who was now quiet angry), playing along with Taka's game.

"Oh…" She whispered, lowering her eyes on Sarafina. "Then… another time, perhaps?" She asked as sweetly as she could.

"Yes, another time!" Taka said nodding his head. "Come on, Sarafina! We have to get going!" At this, he took off down the path, wanting more than anything to get away from Zira. Sarafina tried to dash after him, but was tripped by Zira's much larger paw. Zira lowered her head to the cub's level.

"You better stay away from _my_ prince if you know what's good for you!" She hissed, her blood red eyes flashing with anger. "He is _my_ betrothed, and _my_ future mate, and _my_ love! I will not have him taken away by some puny little cub!" Sarafina had no idea what Zira was rambling on about. It seemed like she was saying that Taka was in love with _her_! 'That's impossible!' she thought. 'He couldn't possibly love _me_! … Could he?' By now, Zira's eyes were filled with rage, and she was even thinking about killing the little cub then and there. "Do you understand?" She snarled. Sarafina nodded her head furiously. "Good." Said Zira, straightening up. "Now run along, and don't you dare tell _anyone_ about our little talk. Got it?" Sarafina gulped at the thought of what the larger, stronger lioness would do to her is she didn't obey.

"Ye… Yes!" She squeaked. Zira chuckled in a way that made Sarafina's skin crawl along her spine.

"Right answer." As soon as the words left her lips, Sarafina was off and running. "And remember!" Zira called after her. "It's our little secret!"

* * *

Heaving from exhaustion, Taka plodded into Pride Rock's main den, and collapsed on the floor. He had run as fast as he could, and now needed to catch his breath. He suddenly remembered he had left Sarafina behind, but before he could react, he found his father towering over him.

"Taka, why are you home so early? I thought you were with Zira!" Ahadi exclaimed. Taka rose to his feet, and replied,

"_Why _would I be with Zira?"

"I just assumed that you would have accepted Zira's offer to go for a walk." Ahadi responded. Taka just stared at his father with an expression that looked both confused and horrified.

"_You_ told Zira to ask me to go with her on a walk? But why, Father?" He questioned the king. Ahadi stood up straight, looking as proud and strong as any king could be.

"Well, since the two of you _are_ to be married, I thought that you should start spending more time together." Taka's face twisted in anger. His own father, trying to bring him and the lioness he hated most together! It was absurd! He wasn't even to be king, and yet he had to be betrothed? He would have no more of this nonsense! But, being the mild-mannered young lion he was, he would first try to explain how he felt to his father.

"Father…" He began. "I… I refuse to marry Zira." He said plainly. Ahadi staggered back, shocked by his son's words.

"What? But why? Do you not love her? She is always by your side!"

"Who said I wanted her there!" Taka snapped. "I've never even _liked_ Zira, let alone _love_ her! I honestly can't stand her! I want out of the engagement!" Ahadi looked into his son's eyes, the ones so much like his own, and saw a deep hatred. It was now clear to him that Taka would do what ever it took to break the bondage he had to Zira. Trying to be the understanding lion he was made out to be, he asked the prince,

"Then who would you suggest to be your betrothed?" At this question, Taka shrunk back a bit, and said timidly,

"Well, I though maybe… Sarafina?" Ahadi gave a deep laugh from his gut.

"Ha ha! That's very funny Son! A little cub to be your mate!" Taka raked the earth with his claws. He looked back up at the golden lion.

"I mean it, Father. I want to marry Sarafina." Ahadi stopped his laughing, and glared at his son.

"WHAT?" He roared. "I deny your request, on the grounds that it would be an unfit marriage!" He was outraged by this proposal.

"And how, may I ask?" Growled Taka

"The age difference is too great! Further more, she isn't of royal blood, nor noble blood!" He bellowed.

"You don't know that for sure! For all we know, Sarafina could be a princess! And as for the age difference, I see nothing wrong with it! Aren't you and Mother about the same distance apart in age as Sarafina and I? And Mother said herself that you aren't of any nobility what so ever! You were a rogue and Grandfather Mohatu took you in and made you his heir! There is nothing royal about you!" Taka screamed at his father. It was clear his last remark had gotten under Ahadi's skin, and now that king was in a blind rage.

"TAKE THAT BACK, YOU INSILENT CHILD!" He roared. And as he said this, he swung his mighty paw, claws unsheathed, at Taka's face. His claws made impact, and less than a second later, a roar of shear pain and terror escaped the prince's mouth.

* * *

Sarafina was only meters away from the cave's mouth when she heard Taka's pained roar. She rushed into the cave, and found her friend hunched over, his paw covering his left eye. She ran to his side, not able to speak. She could _feel_ his pain. Feel the sting and taste the blood running into his mouth. Suddenly, Uru appeared beside her, trying to sooth her son. Meanwhile, Ahadi, had retreated to the darkness corners of the cave, ashamed of the terrible deed he had just performed. As all this was happening, Taka never took his paw away from his face, and when Uru realized this, she urged him to put it down so she could see the extent of his father's strike. He did as he was told, and set his paw down so all could see his face. And there, slashed across his left eye, was a terrible bloody gash. All were horrified by this injury, and it wasn't clear if the prince would ever see out of his left eye again. Uru proceeded to lick the gash clean, and Sarafina stayed by Taka's side through the whole ordeal. When it was clean, Uru looked at his son with her loving, dull red eyes.

"It will probably scar." She said to no one in particular.


	3. Puppet on a String

**Part III : Puppet on a String**

Several days passed, and, just as Uru had predicted, the gash over Taka's left eye did indeed scar. During those days, the prince kept his distance from the pride, finding refuge in the oddest of places. He just wanted to be alone, away from all the pride's pitying eyes. Even Sarafina. He didn't want pity, he wanted acceptance. He was the same lion he had always been, only with a slight superficial flaw. He was the same… wasn't he?

It was on one of these days of separation that Taka decided to explore a place where few lions ever go – the elephant graveyard. For years the Pride Land's elephants had used this spot to mourn their dead. But the land was not only populated by elephant corpses, but with the archenemy of all lions – hyenas. The hyenas had been exiled to the barren wasteland of the graveyard many years ago. The filthy vermin had been killing off the herds on which they depended on. The hyenas did not believe in the Circle of Life, and always took more than they needed. They were horrid, greedy creatures with a lust for blood.

* * *

Taka silently crept into the graveyard, hoping the hyena clan was poaching prey from the adjacent lands. He found his way into a sort of cave, but it was much more than that. The cavern was Massive. Taka could barely make out the ceiling. And, scattered all over the cave floor, were terrible, green pools of who-knows-what. All the young lion could tell was that if he touched it, he would be burned, as well as scarred.

Suddenly, the green liquid from one of the strange pools shot up as if it were a geyser. Taka screamed, and turned to run, but was tripped by something. He fell on his face, and skidded across the ground. When he was finally able to get to his feet, he turned around in a defensive position, but was shocked and horrified at what stood before him. _Hyenas_.

"Well, well, well! What _do_ we have here?" Asked a the female hyena, who was also clearly the leader.

"Hmm… I dunno, Shenzi! Whadda ya think, Ed?" One of the males said, turning to the third, and final of the trio, another male. This hyena didn't speak, but giggled and laughed insanely. It made Taka's skin crawl.

"Ya know what I think, Banzi," Said the female, apparently named Shenzi, to her male counterpart. "I think we got ourselves _lunch_." The prince squirmed under the hyenas' cold, hungry eyes. He had to think quickly and on his toes, otherwise, as the female had said, he would be lunch.

They began to close in on him. Taka was panicked, and couldn't think straight, and in that moment of fuzziness, he told the trio the last thing he wanted to admit.

"If you dare spill a drop of my blood, my father will be on you as swiftly as you please, for to spill royal blood is among the greatest of crimes!" He cried. The hyenas exchanged glances, all except for Ed, the one who could only giggle and laugh, who now only stared out into space. Shenzi gave a sly look at Banzi, which told him his leader had a plan.

"Oh, your Highness! I'm so _sorry_! I didn't recognize you, what with that scar over your eye!" She said. Taka's fear subsided for moment as he touched his scar.

"Well, I only recently got it. The people of the Pride Lands have yet to see me with it." He said, his head hanging low. "But what do you care!" He suddenly snapped. "You're just a bunch of hyenas, banished from our lands! Why would it matter to you that my father struck me!" Shenzi's eyes brightened.

"So," She began. "King Ahadi gave his son a beating, huh? I thought your daddy loved you more than anything, _Mufasa_." She emphasized the name of the crown prince for good measure. Taka frowned.

"Er… Mufasa is my older brother. I am Prince _Taka_." Shenzi pretended to be confused at this news, silently egging Banzi on to do the same.

"_Taka_? Banzi, you ever heard of a 'Prince Taka'?"

"Well, it does ring a bell…" He shrugged, playing along with Shenzi's game. "Oh! That's right! I remember the announcement going out! Someone told me that Ahadi an' Uru had another kid, but that Ahadi was real ticked when he found out it was a male." Taka stared at the hyena in bewilderment.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "My father loves me very much!" Shenzi raised what would have been an eyebrow (for some reason she didn't have them) at the prince.

"Oh yeah? Then why did he give you that nasty scar?" She sneered. Taka had been prepared for a reply, but had none. This hyena – this Shenzi - was right. If his father truly loved him, why would he strike him? While he _had_ angered Ahadi quite a bit, he had never responded so violently when Mufasa made his mad. Could it be possible that the king _was_ playing favorites? That he preferred one son over the other? That Taka's birth had actually saddened him, contrary to what he had always been told? Told that he loved him? Questions swirled in his head, making him physically dizzy.

"Hey, you alright, scarboy?" Shenzi asked in mock compassion.

"Yes…" He replied, his head still swimming. "Yes, I'm fine." He looked hard at the hyena trio, now unsure if they truly wanted to hurt him or not. "I… I really must be off! Goodbye!" He began to run, but was stopped by Ed, the psychotic lunatic. He giggled and laughed in a strange, almost evil way.

"Not so fast!" Said Shenzi. "You gotta promise us _one_ thing, scarboy!" Taka gulped.

"And what would that be?" He asked, quite frightened.

"You gotta come back tomorrow so we can talk wichya sa more!" She exclaimed happily. "I like you, scarboy! I like ya a lot!" Taka's frightened eyes brightened upon hearing this. They actually wanted to spend time with him! Not because he was royalty, or scarred, they liked him for him!

"Alright!" He said excitedly. "I'll be here, same time tomorrow!"

"We're lookin' forward to it! Bye now!" Shenzi called after him as he ran off. She chuckled quietly to herself, and turned back to her cohorts. Banzi stared at her as if she had three heads.

"Uh… Shenzi… WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING?" He shouted. "I thought you were gonna kill the lil' brat once he trusted us! What's the big idea?" Shenzi rolled her eyes.

"Do you want enough food to last us a day, or enough food to last us our whole _lives_?" She asked him.

"Our whole lives, of course!" Shouted Banzi. "But I don't see how that skinny lil' prince is gonna solve that!"

"Well," Shenzi began. "he _is_ the prince, right? So, if we manage to get him to trust us, he has the power to bring us back to the Pride Lands." She explained, looking quite smug.

"Uh, no he can't!" Exclaimed Banzi. "He has no power to do that! He's not gonna be king! His brother is!"

"Did you really think I hadn't thought of that, moron? We'll just keep telling him how much Ahadi 'hates' him, and 'loves' Mufasa. Eventually, he'll have so much anger towards both of them, we can tell him whatever we want about either of them, and he'll believe us. We can put whatever ideas in his head that we like! Why, we could even get him thinking up a plan to overthrow his brother, and –" But Banzi cut her off, finally understanding her brilliant plan.

"And then, he'll become king, and let us back in! Shenzi, you're a genius!" He praised her.

"I know." She chuckled. "That prince ill' be like a puppet on a string!" At this, all three of them began to cackle hysterically, giddy with joy over Shenzi's fail-proof plan. They _would_ get back into the Pride Lands, and Prince Taka was going to escort them personally.


	4. Corruption

**I was having some MAJOR writer's block for a LONG time, which is why this kinda... over due. Also, it's very short, so don't bag on me about it. This was just a quick part, since I really don't think much went on during Taka's transformation into his better known identity, Scar. I think the hyeans just filled his head with a lot of horrible ideas, and he started to go, well, insane. More will happen in part 5, I promise! There might even be a new character stepping on the scene!**

* * *

**Part IV: Corruption**

The next day, Prince Taka returned to the graveyard to meet with the hyena trio. And the day after that. And the day after that. He went and spoke to them every day, and everyday, Shenzi would fill his head with thoughts of hatred, jealousy, and bloodlust. She said such terrible things, I can not even bring myself to tell you what her horrid tales consisted of. To put it shortly, Shenzi was weaving a massive web of lies, and Taka believed every single one of them. She made him believe that his father didn't love him; that his brother hated him; that his mother pitied him; and… the worst lie of all… Sarafina would _never_ love him. All of these startling tales sent Taka into a deep depression. He only spoke to the hyenas, whom he believed to be his only true "friends". He shunned the rest of the pride, becoming more and more distant. He was the gentle, kind prince no longer. Standing in his place was the near monster the hyenas had created: Scar. Ever since Shenzi had first called him "scarboy" the trio had shortened it, and began to call him by the mark on his face. And the prince was scarred in every sense of the word. For not only was he physically scarred, but his soul was scarred as well.

And soon, the pride adopted this name for him. Now, there wasn't even the dimmest of hopes that Taka would come to his senses, and become who he truly was once again.

And Sarafina mourned for her friend – nay, her _best_ friend -, for in her young mind, it was just as if he was dead… and she had been the only witness.


	5. Addicted to Her Tears

**Okay... so... I lied. There is no new character in this part, and once again, its very short. For some reason I'm having trouble with this story, though I've had the plot planned out for months in advanced. I think its starting to take on a mind of it's own. So, this is once again just a transtion part. This is basiclly explaining the current state of Scar and Saffy's relationship. I promise I'll try to write longer parts, and have more happen in the story, but for now, enjoy!**

**Part V: Addicted to Her Tears**

As the years went by, Scar's soul became more and more tainted with every day he lived. By this time, he was full-grown, as was Sarafina. He was on the smaller side, lanky in build, and not too incredibly strong (at least not like his father and brother). Despite this, he was thought to be quite a handsome lion by the pride's young lionesses, especially Sarafina. She had not realized what she had until it was gone, and she regretted it. She hadn't been able to place her feelings for her friend back when she was a cub, but she could now: it had been the beginning of love.

* * *

How she wanted him to love her! The very sight of him made her melt. The way his raven mane fell on his shoulders enchanted her. The way his emerald eyes gleamed in the light intoxicated her. The only thing that stood between them was Scar himself. She knew that somewhere, deep down in his soul, he was still the kind, gentle lion he had been; still Taka. She tried everything to unlock him, but to no avail. She tried enticing him with play, but he just scowled at her antics and left her in his dust. She tried being charming and lovable, but he just rolled his eyes and stalked off. Everything she tried failed miserably. How could he not know that he was breaking her heart with his indifference?

* * *

Little did she know, Scar _did_notice, and he quite often took delight in her despair. He chuckled softly to himself every time he left her sniffling, and shivered with pleasure every time he saw her weep. He knew it was wrong to enjoy the young lioness's pain, but he couldn't help himself. And what did it matter? He didn't care if he hurt her. She had broken his heart, left it in shambles. He was just returning the favor. Shenzi had even told him that it was the very _best_way to make the pain go away, and she had been right, as she always was. Now it was a dark hobby of his to make Sarafina cry. He was addicted to her tears.


End file.
